Bún đậu mắm tôm, a very popular dish in Hanoi, is loaded with noodles, tofu and shrimp paste. Shrimp paste is popular in many parts of Asia, including Vietnam. It is also called mắm tôm. It smells like a rotten animal, but to many locals, the aroma makes their mouth water. After two or three times, you may pity those who refuse to try this seemingly gross local food. It is easy to find a street vendor that offers this yummy dish. Vendors add a few drops of fresh lemon, or Satsuma "quả quất," to the shrimp paste, then boiling oil from the same pan they fry tofu. The bowl is then mixed well until it is full of tiny white bubbles, which weakens the smell. Dip a piece of tofu, some noodles and a basil leaf into the sauce and eat them together. Watch people around you to see how it’s done. Dip the rice vermicelli and other ingredients in the sauce. Just don’t take too much at once. It’s salty. Enjoy.
The price of a bowl varies from $1.50 to $3 a person.
For the best fried chicken sandwich in Oakland, fans head to Bakesale Betty. Open just three hours each day, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., look for the line outside the lunchtime bakery and take-out stop at the corner of Telegraph and 51st Avenue in Temescal. The shop is owned and operated by Australian-born chef Alison Barakat (you’ll recognize her by her trademark blue wig) and her husband and baker Michael Camp. The two opened Bakesale Betty in 2005, and along with a rotating menu of delectable sweets, began to offer a fried chicken sandwich. The word got out. Today, they sell between 500 and 600 sandwiches in three hours. The secret to Betty’s fried chicken sandwich lies in its simplicity. Barakat deep-fries buttermilk-soaked, air-chilled chicken breasts and heaps a mayonnaise-free jalapeño coleslaw atop two soft Acme Bakery buns. The result: A spicy, juicy sandwich bursting at the seams. Interesting tidbit: On nice days, people sit outside the shop and eat on vintage ironing boards used as tables.
Open since 2004, Chef Kaiser Lashkari’s laid-back, BYOB restaurant is famous for its generous portions of flavorful Pakistani, Northern Indian and Indo-Chinese food. Everything possible is made from scratch, including Lashkari’s curry blends. The house specialty is the hunter’s beef, the Pakistani version of pastrami or corned beef. Cured with garam masala, saltpeter, ginger and garlic, the hunter’s beef is brined for 11 days, steamed and then baked. Served with a spicy, dark yellow mustard sauce, the beef is served two ways: shredded and fried with chili powder and black pepper to a crispy brown; and thickly sliced on a plate alongside fresh tomato slices, cucumber and lemon. Other highlights include green curry with chicken; biryani with lamb, chicken and shrimp; and almond custard, a unique, dense riff on flan.
Open since 1980, Chef Robert Del Grande’s contemporary Texas cuisine has received critical acclaim, including a James Beard award in 1992 for Best Chefs in America - Southwest. One of the original "new Southwestern" or "modern Texas" chefs, Grande’s inspirations range from tortilla soup and crab tostadas with avocado relish to mushroom soup with truffle cream and huitlacoche duxelles. Look for succulent scallops with mashed potatoes, crispy kale and buttermilk-lime dressing; cinnamon-infused pheasant with oyster mushrooms, cipollini onions and fried sage; and wood-grilled rabbit with red mole sauce and a rabbit enchilada. In addition to wines by the glass and bottle, including a few Texas choices, the adjoining Bar Annie offers such treats as Gulf crab dip with savory beignets, bacon-wrapped quail with smoked chile ranch dressing, and spice-laden red chile beef nachos. Pro tip: By night and candlelit or breezy and sunny midday, the second-level terrace is an inviting place to dine almost 25 feet above Post Oak Boulevard.
Set in an elegant, century-old log hunting lodge, this upscale restaurant and bar is famous for its American fare, wild game, grilled seafood and award-winning wine cellar. The romantic lodge is set on an acre of land, with three fireplaces, a gorgeous patio surrounded by greenery, herb gardens and a citrus grove overlooking White Oak Bayou. Executive Chef Mark Schmidt sources ingredients from the Rainbow Lodge garden, and his menu gives poultry, game and seafood a regional twist in such entrees as tender elk chop served with root-vegetable enchiladas and charred-tomato ancho mole; lamb shank with pickled chard and butter beans; lobster risotto with prosciutto chips; and shaved speck - dry-cured smoked ham - accompanied by roasted autumn squash, pepitas, honey and mustard seeds. For lunch, don’t miss the bourbon-and-black-pepper cream gravy ladled over chicken-fried venison cutlets. Pro tip: The Friday lunch burger special made from game trimmings has a cult following.
Bún riêu is a Vietnamese meat and rice vermicelli soup. There are several varieties of bún riêu, including bún riêu cua, bún riêu cá and bún riêu ốc. Bún riêu cua is served with tomato broth and topped with freshwater crab. Various freshwater paddy crabs are used, including the brown paddy crab found in Vietnam’s rice paddies. Crabs are washed in clean water to remove dirt and sand, then pounded with the shell on into a fine paste. The paste is strained and the crab liquid forms the soup base, along with tomato. The crab residue is used as the basis for crab cakes. Other ingredients include tamarind paste, fried tofu and rice vinegar. This dish is rich in nutrition: calcium from the ground crab shells, iron from congealed pig's blood to redden the broth, and vitamins and fiber from the vegetables.
Price of a bowl vary from $1 to $2.50.
Opened by New York-bred pitmaster Billy Durney in 2013, this Texas-sized barbecue joint on the Red Hook waterfront prepares meats in the classic Southern technique - smoked over oak wood. Look for enormous beef ribs, Texas-style brisket, pulled lamb belly, pork sausage, jerk chicken and pulled pork belly. Traditional sides include sugary baked beans, stewed collards, gooey mac and cheese, sweet cornbread and lightly pickled cucumbers. Fans rave about the brisket and pulled pork tacos, served in hand-made corn tortillas with salsa verde, pickled red onion, lime crema and cilantro. A walk-up service counter takes orders on a first-come, first-served basis — until the day’s offerings sell out, often by 9 p.m. While customers wait, they can enjoy craft beers, American whiskeys, seasonal cocktails and Red Hook wines from one of two bars. Live music keeps the place jumping on weekend nights.
At St. Honoré bakery, in the La Alameda neighborhood, you can always find hot artisanal bread just pulled from the oven, colorful pizzas, fruit juices, milkshakes and fresh salads made with a mix of lettuces, vegetables and fruits. But the house speciality is their pastries, which are out of this world. The Sfogliatelle, or "lobster tail," is an Italian pastry made with several thin layers of dough and various fillings: orange flavored ricotta cheese, marzipan, hazelnut or almond paste. At St. Honoré, colas de langostas, made almost every day, are crispy, topped with powdered sugar and filled with pastry cream or chocolate. Other favorite desserts include chocolate cakes, profiteroles, fruit tarts and pies.
John Li has quickly become known as the dumpling king of London. Open Saturdays in the Schoolyard area of Broadway Market, his stall’s impressive offerings lure followers with perfectly textured skins, crisp bottoms and well-seasoned, tender and juicy fillings. Fan favorites include the Sheng Jian Bao, steamed dumplings with a gently fried base, generously filled with soup and pork; Cornish crab and prawn dumplings; lobster dumplings with ginger and spring onion; scallop dumplings; and the “brunch” dumplings, which showcase a boiled quail’s egg wrapped in a filling of lamb, sage and onion sausage. Topped with sesame seeds, chilli oil, vinegar and soy sauce are available for seasoning. Homemade soy milk, the classic dumpling pairing, is available to complete the experience. John makes his dumplings to order and customers can watch his intricate pleating technique. Pro tip: Arrive before 12.30 p.m. Otherwise, you could wait more than 20 minutes for your order and dumpling are usually sold out by 2:30 to 3 p.m.
This Italian restaurant in Rivoli, Italy, is housed in a glass wing of the Castello di Rivoli Museum of Contemporary Art. Chef Davide Scabin’s futuristic dishes feature such classics as the famous “cyber egg.” Egg yolk with caviar and vodka are served in a shell made of cellophane that diners slice with a scalpel so the mixture explodes in their mouths. Guests select the Down & Up tasting menu, which starts with light dishes moving to heavier courses; or the Up & Down menu, which begins with the richest dishes and ends with the lightest – a frozen oyster salad. Standouts include the “cotoletta di filetto,” a fillet of beef coated in bread crumbs and served over smoldering herbs; and the signature maccheroni soufflé with ragu Bolognese and fondue of Grana Padano. Conversation note: Scabin prepared dehydrated meals, such as aubergine parmigiana, for astronaut Luca Parmitano to eat in space.